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MRS.    ANNIE     BESANT     AND 
THE    MORAL    CODE 


A    PROTEST 

by  J.  H.  FUSSELL 

(Stcniaru  of  "Che  Universal  Brotherhood  and  Theosophlcal  Society. 
Formerly  "Ptioale  Secrelari)  to  the  late  IVilliam  Q.  Judge.) 


Introduction  by  KENNETH  MORRIS 


"The  Theosophical  Society  has  no  Moral  Code." — Mrs.  Annie  Besant 

"  Theosophy  is  itself  the  highest  Moral  Code." —  H.  P.  Blavatsk^ 

"  Verily,  there  is  nothing  hid  that  shall  not  be  revealed ;    neither   secret  that 
shall  not  be  made  known." 


ADDRESSED    TO    THE    PUBLIC: 

TO    FATHERS    AND    MOTHERS:      TO    ALL 

LOVERS    OF   THE    HOME:     TO    ALL    SELF-RESPECTING 

MEN    AND  WOMEN -LOVERS  OF   DECENCY  AND 

3ANENE33  OF  LIFE 


State  of  California, 
County  of  San  Difgo,  ss. 

Joseph  H.  Fussell,  of  Point  Loma,  California,  being  first  duly  sworn,  de- 
poses and  says : 

That  the  quotations  and  extracts  printed  in  the  pamphlet  entitled :  "  Mrs. 
Annie  Besant  and  the  Moral  Code,"  of  which  this  affidavit  is  a  part,  are  word 
for  word  and  in  all  particulars  correctly  transcribed ; 

Further,  that  these  quotations  and  extracts,  herein  referred  to,  are  taken 
from  documents  or  pamphlets  issued  by  members  or  former  members  of  Mrs. 
Besant's  "  Theosophical  "  Society,  as  follows : 

Pamphlet: — "The   Leadbeater   Case,  —  The   Suppressed   Speeches   of   Herbert 

Burrows  and  G.   R.   S.   Mead."      (Published  by  Herbert  Burrows   and 

G.  R.  S.  Mead.) 
Pamphlet  : —  "  The   Leadbeater   Case,  —  A   Reply   to  the   President's   Letter   of 

November    1908."      (Published   by   G.    R.    S.    Mead,    Herbert    Burrows, 

W.  Kingsland,  and  Edith  Ward.) 
Journal  : —  "  The    Theosophic    Voice  "  —  An    Independent    Unofficial    Journal. 

(Published  at  Chicago.) 

Also  extracts  or  quotations  from  the  following: 

A  personal  letter  from  Mrs.  Annie  Besant  to  an  inquirer,  a  copy  of  which  is 
in  the  possession  of  the  deponent. 

H.  P.  Blavatsky's  published  writings,  viz.,  "The  Key  to  Theosophy,"  and  Edi- 
torial Articles  in  h6r  Magazine  "Lucifer,"   (published  in  London). 

(Signed)  Joseph  H,  Fussell 


State  of  California, 
County  of  San  Diego,  ss. 

On  this  24th  day  of  July,  in  the  year  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  nine, 
before  me,  Wm.  H.  Francis,  County  Clerk  and  ex-officio  Clerk  of  the  Superior 
Court  in  and  for  said  County,  which  is  a  court  of  record  having  a  seal,  person- 
ally appeared  Joseph  H.  Fussell,  known  to  me  to  be  the  person  described  in  and 
whose  name  is'r.ubscribed  to  and  who  executed  the  annexed  instrument,  and 
acknowledged  to  me  that  he  executed  the  same. 

In  Witness  WSherEOF,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  affixed  the  seal  of 
said  court  at  my  office  in  the.  T-ounty  of  San  Diego,  the  day  and  year  in  this 
Certificate  first  above  written. 

{Signed)  Wm.  H.  Francis 

County  Clerk  and  ex-officio  Clerk  of  the  Superior  Court 

^y  S.  A.  CHARPIOT,  Deputy 

Seal  of  the  Superior  Court, 
San  Diego  County,  Cal. 


INTRODUCTION 


ThbrE  are  certain  matters,  from  dealing  with  which  decent  people  shrink 
with  disgust.  Our  minds  turn  away  from  them  revolting;  although  they  may 
be  perils  that  are  a  present  menace  to  society,  society  will  neither,  if  it  can 
help  itself,  name  nor  notice  them.     Such  a  matter  is  unnatural  sexual  vice. 

A  human  being  may  descend  to  such  hideous  depths  of  iniquity  that  the  idea 
of  him  becomes  nauseous,  and  his  name  a  word  not  to  be  spoken.  A  certain 
stigma  attaches  even  to  those  who  dare  to  pull  the  veil  of  secrecy  from  such 
a  one;  we  have  such  a  desire  to  be  left  alone,  hearing  nothing  unpleasant. 
But  all  honest  teachers  of  boys  know  certain  things,  which  are  bound  at  times 
almost  to  make  them  despair  of  the  future  of  the  race;  they  know  of  the 
presence  of  vices  more  deadly  and  more  infectious  than  any  disease,  and  harder 
to  combat;  and  when  such  a  case  as  this  pamphlet  reveals  is  toward,  when 
there  is  a  man  spreading  corruption  as  the  man  Leadbeater  has  done,  they 
at  least  will  understand  that  the  time  has  come  to  fling  convention  to  the  winds. 
We  must  have  open  honesty  now,  and  surgeons  who  will  do  a  certain  work 
without  flinching.  We  must  have  brave  men  who  will  go  in,  and  handle  filth 
and  breathe  stench,  because  humanity  is  threatened. 

It  should  be  understood  that  Theosophy,  as  such,  is  not  involved  in  this  mat- 
ter. The  appeal  therefore  is  equally  to  those  favorable  and  those  unfavorable 
to  Theosophy,  and  to  those  who  have  no  interest  in  it.  Yet  the  full  necessity 
of  fighting  this  Besant-Leadbeater  influence  would  not  be  understood,  unless 
some  mention  and  even  explanation  of  a  few  of  the  Theosophical  teachings 
were  made. 

As  will  be  shown,  Mrs.  Annie  Besant  is  at  the  head  of  a  society  calling  itself 
"  Theosophical,"  and  Mr.  Leadbeater  her  chief  colleague  and  almost  her  equal 
in  influence.  She  has  spoken  of  herself  and  of  him  as  "  Initiates."  Now 
Theosophy  teaches  that  men  can,  through  long  and  steadfast  moral  and  spir- 
itual training,  become  perfect  in  wisdom,  strength  of  character,  and  compas- 
sion ;  and  cites  as  proof  of  this  teaching,  the  lives  of  such  men  as  Jesus, 
Buddha,  Confucius,  etc.,  these  men  being  known  as  Initiates;  and  it  is  held 
that  they  are  worthy  to  be  followed  and  supported  in  every  way. 

Mr.  Leadbeater,  posing  as  such  an  initiate,  believed  to  be  such  by  the  parents, 
has  been  teaching  boys,  under  pledge  of  secrecy,  a  private  vice ;  Mrs.  Besant 
has  stood  by,  endorsed  and  defended  him.  Their  society  is  actively  engaged 
in  propaganda  throughout  four  continents;  and  one  of  their  highest  officials 
has  declared  that  this  is  their  inner  teaching,  to  be  made  public  as  the  world 
becomes  prepared  for  it.  In  other  words,  here  is  a  secret  propaganda  of  vice ; 
is  it  not  time  to  take  action? 

Kenn^tr  Morris 


Mrs.  Annie  Besant  and  the  Moral  Code 


PRELIMINARY   STATEMENT 

THE  present  Theosophical  Movement  was  originated  by  Helena  Petrovna 
Blavatsky  in  New  York  in  1875.  The  original  name  of  the  Society  founded 
by  her  was  "  The  Theosophical  Society  and  Universal  Brotherhood."  Associ- 
ated with  her  as  co-founders  were  William  Q.  Judge,  Col.  H.  S.  Olcott,  and 
others.  Madame  Blavatsky,  though  the  founding  and  whole  life  of  the  Society 
were  due  to  her,  did  not  hold  any  outer  official  position  except  that  of  Corres- 
ponding Secretary,  Nevertheless  she  held  the  highest  authority;  she  was  the 
inspiration  and  heart  of  the  Movement ;  it  was  through  her  that  the  teachings 
of  Theosophy  were  given  to  the  world,  and  without  her  the  Theosophical  Move- 
ment could  not  have  been. 

in  1891  H.  P.  Blavatsky  died,  and  WilHam  O.  Judge  who  had  always  been 
held  in  the  highest  esteem  and  confidence  by  Madame  Blavatsky,  became  her 
successor  as  Leader  and  Inspirer  of  the  Movement. 

Soon  afterwards  a  Mrs.  Annie  Besant  and  some  of  her  associates  attempted 
to  create  confusion  and  stir  up  strife  in  the  ranks  of  the  Society  by  actions  sub- 
versive of  the  principles  of  Theosophy  and  of  the  purposes  for  which  the 
Society  had  been  founded.  For  this  reason,  the  American  members  determined 
on  a  reorganization  of  the  Theosophical  Society,  which  took  place  at  Boston  in 
1895,  when  by  a  vote  of  191  delegates  to  10,  representing  a  majority  of  the 
active  members  throughout  the  world,  William  Q.  Judge  was  elected  President 
for  life.  Similar  action  was  almost  immediately  taken  by  members  in  other 
countries,  and  in  each  case  William  Q.  Judge  was  elected  President. 

By  this  reorganization  all  connexion  with  Mrs.  Besant  and  her  associates 
was  repudiated,  and  the  Society  thus  left  free  to  carry  on  its  legitimate  work. 
And  though  some  of  these  people  continued  among  themselves  to  use  the  name 
Theosophy  and  to  call  themselves  Theosophists,  it  should  be  understood  that 
they  are  not  connected  with  the  Theosophical  Movement. 

In  1896  William  Q.  Judge  died  and  the  Leadership  of  the  Theosophical 
Movement  passed  into  the  hands  of  Katherine  Tingley,  whom  he  had  desig- 
nated as  his  successor.  The  full  title  of  the  organization  is  now  Universai, 
Brotherhood  and  Theosophical  Society. 

THEOSOPHY    INCULCATES   THE    HIGHEST    MORALITY 

All  those  who  are  at  all  acquainted  with  the  teachings  of  Theosophy  as  put 
forth  by  H.  P.  Blavatsky,  William  Q.  Judge,  and  Katherine  Tingley,  know  that 
they  not  merely  inculcate  the  highest  morality,  but  stand  as  a  menace  and 
protest  against  everything  evil  in  the  world.  In  view,  however,  of  the  fact  that 
many  of  the  public  do  not  know  of  the  distinction  that  exists  between  the 
original  Theosophical  Society  founded  by  H.  P.  Blavatsky  (the  full  name  of 
which  is  now  the  Universal  Brotherhood  and  Theosophical  Society,  with 
its  International  Headquarters  at  Point  Loma,  California)  and  the  so-called 


_  5  —  ^^^ 

Theosophical  Society  of  which  Mrs.  Besant  is  now  the  head;   in  view  also  of  /  ^ ^^ 
the  fact  that  the  last-named  Society  (of  which  Mrs.  Besant  is  now  the  head)  '  ' 

has  recently  re-admitted  to  its  ranks  a  Mr.  C.  W.  Leadbeater  who  has  been  fVI/fj/. 
accused  of  gross  immorality,  and  has  confessed  to  the  same ;  and  lastly,  in 
order  that  there  may  be  no  confusion  in  the  public  mind  as  to  the  attitude  of 
Katherine  Tingley,  of  her  students,  and  of  the  members  of  the  Unive;rsai, 
Brotherhood  and  The;osophicai,  Socie;ty  ;  nor  any  mistake  as  to  the  teach- 
ings of  Theosophy  in  regard  to  such  conduct  as  that  of  which  Mr.  Leadbeater 
has  been  accused  and  to  which  he  has  confessed  —  that  they  utterly  condemn 
such:  it  is  important  that  the  public  be  placed  in  possession  of  the  following 
information  and  facts. 

MR.  C.  W.  LEADBEATER  — A    MEMBER   OF   MRS.  BESANTS   SOCIETY  — IS 
ACCUSED   OF   GROSS    IMMORALITY   AND   CONFESSES 

In  1906  Mr.  A.  Fullerton,  the  then  General  Secretary  of  Mrs.  Besant's 
Society  in  America  addressed  an  official  circular  dated  May  18,  1906  to  the 
American  members.  The  statement  was  therein  made  that  rumors  which  had 
been  current  for  years  in  India,  Ceylon,  and  England  had  reached  America, 
that  Mr.  C.  W.  Leadbeater,  who  had  been  put  forward  most  prominently  in 
Mrs.  Besant's  Society  as  a  lecturer  and  "  Teacher,"  had  been  deliberately 
teaching  self -abuse  to  boys  in  his  charge,  stating  that  these  rumors  had  been 
verified  by  direct  testimony  from  boys  in  the  United  States.  The  circular  then 
continues : 

A  memorial  was  then  addressed  to  Mrs.  Besant  containing  the  testimony  up 
to  that  date,  and  signed  by  the  Heads  of  the  Esoteric  Section  and  the  Theo- 
sophical Society  in  this  country,  a  duplicate  being  sent  to  X.  [Note: — X.  is  Mr. 
Leadbeater.]  Mrs.  Besant  replied  to  the  Head  of  the  Esoteric  Section  and  X. 
replied  to  Mr.  Fullerton.  X.  admitted  the  facts  and  explained  that  he  taught 
masturbation  to  boys  as  a  protection  against  relations  with  women.  Mrs.  Besant 
utterly  repudiated  such  doctrine  and  such  practice,  but  considered  X.'s  motive 
as  sincere.  .  .  . 

This  is  in  part  the  testimony  of  still  another  boy,  but  even  more  emphatically 
the  discovery  of  two  notes  from  X.  to  two  boys.  It  is  impossible  to  put  such 
writings  in  print;  but  their  pruriency,  their  cold-blooded  injunctions  as  to 
methods  and  times  of  indulgence,  and  the  personal  satisfaction  expressed  in 

the  remark all  make  impossible  the  defense  that  the  prescriptions 

were  given  from  honest  desire  to  save  the  victims  from  sex  relations. 

It  was  very  clear  that  teaching  and  practice  of  this  kind  could  not  be  tolerated 
in  a  teacher,  more  especially  because  access  to  the  boys  had  been  obtained 
through  a  deceptive  assertion  made  to  the  parents.  The  assertion  was  that  it  was 
the  practice  of  X.  to  explain  to  the  boys  in  his  care  the  nature  of  the  sex 
function  and  the  danger  of  its  abuse,  though  without  the  slightest  hint  that 
he  gave  masturbation  as  a  remedy.  If  this  had  been  stated,  the  boys  would  not 
have  been  entrusted  to  him.  The  boys  thus  approached  were  from  thirteen  to 
fourteen  years  of  age. 

No  direct  action  has  been  hitherto  possible  by  other  sections  because  of  the 
absence  of  proof,  but  the  proof  existed  here  from  testimony  and  from  X.'s  own 
admissions,  and  it  was  felt  that  immediate  action  by  the  American  Section  was 
obligatory. 


COMMITTEE   OF    INQUIRY  CALLED 
LEADBEATER  ADMITS  TRUTH  OF  CHARGES  PERMITTED  TO  RESIGN 

In  response  to  demand  made  by  the  American  members  a  Committee  was 
called  by  Col.  Olcott,  the  President  of  the  Society  to  which  Mrs.  Besant  and 
Mr.  Leadbeater  belonged.  In  the  course  of  the  inquiry  Mr.  Leadbeater  admitted 
that  the  charge  of  teaching  this  degrading  practice  to  boys  was  true,  and  also 
admitted  that  he  himself  had  handled  the  boys  indecently. 

Before  the  inquiry  Mr.  Leadbeater  had  handed  to  Col.  Olcott  his  resignation, 
"  to  be  used  if  necessary,"  There  was  no  question  of  his  guilt,  for  he  himself 
admitted  it ;  the  only  question  that  arose  was,  Should  he  be  expelled  from  the 
Society  or  should  his  resignation  be  accepted?  The  latter  course  was  finally 
adopted. 

A  SUMMARY  OF  FACTS 

It  is  important,  as  will  be  seen  later,  that  we  do  not  get  away  from  the 
facts.  So  far  they  are  as  follows: 

(1)  The  charge  was  made  against  Mr.  Leadbeater  that  he  taught  to  certain 
boys  the  degrading  practice  of  self-abuse. 

(2)  Direct  testimony  was  received  from  some  of  his  victims. 

(3)  Mr.  Leadbeater  in  his  reply  to  Mr.  FuUerton  admitted  the:  truth  of 

THE   CHARGE. 

(4)  Mr.  Leadbeater,  before  the  Inquiry  took  place,  handed  in  his  resignation, 
and  again  admitted  the  truth  of  the  charge  in  the  presence  of  the 

COMMITTEE. 

MRS.  BESANT   AND   MR.  LEADBEATER 

In  1906  Mrs.  Besant  wrote  to  certain  members  in  America  a  letter  which 
has  since  been  openly  printed  and  circulated,  from  which  the  following  is 
quoted : 

Mr.  X.  [i.  e.,  Mr.  Leadbeater]  appeared  before  the  Council  of  the  British 
Section,  representatives  of  the  French  and  American  Sections  being  present 
and  voting;  Colonel  Olcott  in  the  chair.  Mr.  X.  denied  none  of  the  charges, 
but  in  answer  to  questions  very  much  strengthened  them,  for  he  alleged  that 
he  had  actually  handled  the  boys  himself  and  that  he  had  thus  dealt  with 
boys  before  puberty  as  a  prophylactic.  So  that  the  advice  supposed  to  have  been 
given  as  a  last  resort  to  rescue  a  boy  in  the  grip  of  sexual  passion,  became  advice 
putting  foul  ideas  into  the  minds  of  boys  innocent  of  all  sex  impulses;  and  the 
long  intervals,  the  rare  relief,  became  twenty- four  hours  in  length  —  a  daily 
habit.  It  was  conceivable  that  the  advice  as  supposed  to  have  been  given  had 
been  given  with  pure  intent,  and  the  presumption  was  so  in  a  teacher  of  Theo- 
sophical  morality;  anything  else  seemed  incredible.  But  such  advice  as  was 
given,  in  fact  such  dealing  with  boys  before  sex  passion  had  awakened,  could 
be  given  with  pure  intent  only  if  the  giver  were,  on  this  point,  insane.  .  .  .  Let 
me  here  place  on  record  my  opinion  that  such  teaching  as  this  given  to  men, 
let  alone  innocent  boys,  is  worthy  of  the  sternest  reprobation.  It  distorts  and 
perverts  the  sex  impulse,  implanted  in  men  for  the  preservation  of  the  race;  it 
degrades  the  ideas  of  marriage,  of  fatherhood  and  motherhood,  humanity's  most 
sacred  ideals ;  it  befouls  the  imagination,  pollutes  the  emotions,  and  undermines 
the  health.  Worst  of  all  is  that  it  should  be  taught  under  the  name  of  the 
Divine  Wisdom,  being  essentially  "earthly,  sensual,  devilish." 


And  in  answer  to  a  proposal  emanating  from  some  members  in  America  to 
reinstate  Mr.  Leadbeater,  Mrs.  Besant  wrote  in  August  1907 : 

Any  proposal  to  reinstate  Mr.  Leadbeater  in  the  membership  of  the  Theo- 
sophical  Society  would  be  ruinous  to  the  Society.  ...  If  such  a  proposal  were 
carried  in  America  —  I  do  not  believe  it  possible  —  I  should  move  on  the  T.  S. 
Council,  the  supreme  authority,  that  the  application  of  membership  should  be 
rejected. 

If  Mrs.  Besant  had  let  the  matter  rest  there,  if  she  had  sustained  her  position 
as  last  above  indicated,  doubtless  this  pamphlet  would  not  have  been  written. 
But  in  view  of  her  later  utterances,  in  which  she  has  departed  utterly  from  the 
position  above  indicated;  and  because  Mrs.  Besant  stands  before  the  public 
as  a  lecturer  professing  to  teach  Theosophy ;  and  because  many  of  the  public, 
ignorant  of  the  true  history  of  the  Theosophical  Society,  identify  her  name 
with  Theosophy;  therefore  I  deem  it  a  duty  to  protest  in  the  name  of  Theo- 
sophy and  of  H.  P.  Blavatsky  and  William  Q.  Judge,  and  to  place  the  public  in 
possession  of  certain  facts  that  they  may  judge  intelligently  and  act  accordingly, 

ANNIE    BESANT    DECLARES    THAT 
■THE   THEOSOPHICAL   SOCIETY   HAS    NO    MORAL   CODE" 

In  1907  there  was  published  an  article  over  Mrs.  Besant's  signature  in  which 
the  statement  is  made :    "  The  Theosophical  Society  has  no  moral  code." 

Without  any  mincing  of  words  such  a  statement  is  an  infamous  libel  on  the 
Theosophical  Society,  on  H.  P.  Blavatsky,  and  on  every  member  of  the  Society, 
Mrs.  Besant  may  speak  for  herself,  she  may  have  the  right  to  speak  for  the 
Society  of  which  she  is  now  President;  but  if  her  Society  has  no  moral  code, 
then  for  that  reason  alone,  that  Society  has  no  right  to  the  name  Theosophical. 

Anyone  who  knows  anything  at  all  about  Theosophy  knows  that,  in  respect 
to  the  Theosophical  Society  (the  only  one  with  any  right  to  the  name)  founded 
by  H.  P.  Blavatsky,  such  a  statement  is  utterly  false  and  misleading.  And  let 
it  be  clearly  understood  that  by  Theosophy  I  mean  the  teachings  of  Madame 
Blavatsky,  of  William  Q.  Judge,  and  Katherine  Tingley  and  those  who  are  true 
students  of  these  Teachers.  I  do  not  mean  anything  that  Mrs.  Besant  or  her 
followers  or  associates  may  have  written  or  put  forward  as  Theosophy. 

For  the  sake  of  those  who  are  not  acquainted  with  the  teachings  of  Theosophy 
it  is  sufficient  to  refer  merely  to  the  following: 

Inquirer:    Have  you  any  ethical  system  that  you  carry  out  in  the  Society? 

ThEosophist:  The  ethics  are  there,  ready  and  clear  enough  for  whomsoever 
would  follow  them.  They  are  the  essence  and  cream  of  the  world's  ethics, 
gathered  from  the  teachings  of  all  the  world's  great  reformers. 

Inquirer:    Have  you  any  prohibitory  laws  or  clauses  for  Theosophists  in  your 

Society  ? 
Theosophist  :    Many,  but  alas !   none  of  them  are  enforced.    They  express  the 

ideal  of  our  organization,  —  but  the  practical  application  of  such  things  we 

are  compelled  to  leave  to  the  discretion  of  the  Fellows  themselves. —  {Key  to 

Theosophy,  by  H.  P.  Blavatsky) 

And  in  her  magazine  Lucifer,  published  in  London,  H.  P.  Blavatsky  wrote : 

Theosophy  is  itself  the  highest  moral  code. 

Theosophy  ...  is  Divine  Science  and  a  code  of  ethics  so  sublime  that  no 
Theosophist  is  capable  of  doing  it  justice. 


And  again  she  speaks  of 

.  .  .  the  code  of  ethics  which  ought  to  guide  every  Theosophist  aspiring  to 
become  one  in  reality.  ...  In  a  Society  with  pretensions  to  an  exalted  system 
of  ethics  —  the  essence  of  all  previous  ethical  codes  —  which  confesses  openly  its 
aspirations  to  emulate  and  put  to  shame  by  its  practical  example  and  ways  of 
living  the  followers  of  every  religion,  ... 

And  a  host  of  other  references  might  be  given,  but  it  is  not  necessary  to  give 
more ;  I  have  quoted  sufficient  to  show  that  Mrs.  Besant's  statement  that  "  the 
Theosophical  Society  has  no  moral  code "  is  a  baseless  assertion. 

"MY  FRIEND  AND  FELLOW-INITIATE" 

Later  in  the  same  year,  in  an  address  before  the  Convention  of  her 
"  Theosophical "  Society  held  in  Chicago,  September  1907,  Mrs.  Besant 
spoke  of  Mr.  Leadbeater  as  "  my  Friend  and  Fellow-Initiate."  Did  anyone 
who  knows  anything  of  Theosophy,  or  who  knows  the  significance  of  the 
term  "  Initiate,"  ever  hear  of  anyone  calling  him  or  herself  "  an  Initiate  " 
and  in  public,  too  ?  Surely,  this  is  playing  to  the  gallery.  It  is  quite  pertinent, 
also,  to  ask,  "  Initiate  in  what  ?  "  for,  bear  in  mind,  Mr.  Leadbeater  has  con- 
fessed to  gross  immorality.  Certainly  not  an  Initiate  in  Theosophy,  for  Theo- 
sophy teaches  purity,  saneness,  and  commonsense. 

Also  in  the  same  year  1907,  in  answer  to  an  inquiry  from  a  young  man  inter- 
ested in  Theosophy,  but  disturbed  over  the  Leadbeater  affair,  Mrs.  Besant 
wrote : 

One  falsehood  I  may  perhaps  note.  Mr.  Leadbeater  was  not  even  accused  of 
any  crime ;  his  life  is  a  very  pure  and  noble  one.  But  he  gave  what  some  of  us 
think  very  dangerous  advice  in  the  effort  to  rescue  some  boys  from  evil  ways, 
and  he  resigned  in  order  that  the  T.  S.  might  not  be  held  responsible  for  his 
advice. 

When  Mrs.  Besant  penned  this  note  she  could  never  have  dreamed  it  would 
come  into  the  hands  of  anyone  cognizant  of  the  facts.  Let  us  briefly  analyse 
this  remarkable  statement,  not  forgetting  Mrs.  Besant's  previous  statement  to 
the  American  members,  to  which  I  shall  advert  later.  Mrs.  Besant  says: 
"  Mr.  Leadbeater  was  not  even  accused  of  any  crime."  How  does  this  agree 
with  the  facts?  how  does  it  agree  with  Mr.  Leadbeater's  confession  twice  made? 
Is  Mrs.  Besant  simply  juggling  with  the  English  language?  or  would  it  be 
charity  to  assume  that  a  cloud  had  come  over  her  mind  and  that  maybe  she 
meant  something  else  ?  Is  it,  or  is  it  not,  a  crime  to  give  such  teaching  to  boys, 
and  to  "  handle  them  "  as  Mrs.  Besant  herself  and  Mr.  Leadbeater  himself 
acknowledged  he  did?  "Mr.  Leadbeater's  life  is  a  very  noble  and  pure  one," 
says  Mrs.  Besant ;  how  does  this  agree  with  Mr.  Leadbeater's  own  admissions  ? 
or  perhaps  nobility  and  purity  have  some  other  meaning  for  Mrs.  Besant, 
different  from  that  which  you  and  I  give  to  these  words. 

And  so,  "  he  resigned,"  Mrs.  Besant  says,  "  in  order  that  the  T.  S.  might  not 
be  held  responsible  for  his  advice,"  for  she  still  acknowledges  that  he  gave 
"  very  dangerous  advice."    But  perhaps  even  this  may  be  denied  later. 


9  

THE   ALLEGED   REASON    FOR   THE   ADVICE 

And,  says  Mrs.  Besant,  this  "  very  dangerous  advice  was  given  in  the  effort 
to  rescue  some  boys  from  evil  ways."  She  acknowledges  the  giving  of  the 
advice,  which  was  that  of  self-abuse,  and  then  says  it  was  given  "  to  rescue 
some  boys  from  evil  ways."  Let  us  turn  to  what  Mr.  Leadbeater  himself  says 
in  his  letter  of  Feb.  27,  1906.  He  there  distinctly  advocates  the  teaching  of  self- 
abuse  before  "  the  danger  of  entanglement  with  women  or  bad  boys  later  on," 
—  to  quote  his  exact  words. 

Commenting  on  this,  Mr.  Herbert  Burrows,  one  of  the  most  prominent  of 
the  English  members  of  Mrs.  Besant's  Society  (since  resigned,  I  understand), 
says: 

So  we  have  the  terrible  fact  of  these  innocent  boys  being  taught  self-abuse, 
unknown  to  their  parents,  under  a  pledge  of  secrecy  and  because  the  teaching 
was  Theosophy,  by  a  Theosophical  teacher  who  is  claimed  as  a  seer  and  an 
Initiate,  under  whose  charge  their  boys  were,  and  who  regularly  took  them 

TO   SLEEP  WITH   HIM,   ALTHOUGH   THEY   STRONGLY  OBJECTED,   AND  BEGGED  FOR  A   SEP- 
ARATE ROOM,  AS  I  HAVE  ACTUAL  PROOF. 

What  does  the  thoughtful  reader  think?  Is  this  indeed  the  XXth  century? 
Think  you  that  Mr.  Leadbeater's  advice  and  conduct  —  for  that  cannot  be 
overlooked  —  was  calculated  "  to  rescue  boys  from  evil  ways  "  ?  Is  there  any 
sane  man  or  woman  who  could  take  that  position?  Or  was  not  such  advice 
and  conduct  calculated  to  "initiate"  (and  I  use  the  word  intentionally)  them 
into  evil  ways  from  which  perhaps  in  this  life  they  may  never  be  able  to  extri- 
cate themselves?  And,  it  is  pertinent  to  ask,  for  what  purpose?  The  last 
statement  quoted  from  Mr.  Herbert  Burrows  does  not  seem  to  have  been 
gone  into. 

ONE  STEP  FURTHER 
In  November  1908,  Mrs.  Besant  wrote  a  long  letter  to  the  British  members 
of  her  Society  in  response  to  a  protest  by  some  of  them;  and  (to  express 
frankly  my  opinion  of  her  letter)  it  is  nothing  less  than  an  attempt  to  befog  the 
whole  issue  with  sanctimonious  moralizing,  platitudes,  and  talk,  talk,  talk  — 
in  which  she  would  make  out  the  man  Leadbeater  a  saint  and  martyr,  and 
herself  another.  Only  one  or  two  points  can  be  referred  to.    She  says: 

But  now  that  I  am  appealed  to,  I  will  speak,  and  the  more  gladly  because  I 
also  wronged  him,  believing  that  he  had  admitted  certain  statements  as  true; 

What  about  Mr.  Leadbeater's  letter  to  Mr.  Fullerton,  himself  acknowledging 
the  truth  of  the  charges?  What  about  his  acknowledgement  before  the  Com- 
mittee? Is  Mrs.  Besant  in  her  right  mind ?  Does  she  know  what  she  is  saying? 
Has  she  become  a  monomaniac  on  Mr.  Leadbeater  ?    She  continues : 

I  wrote  in  1906 :  "  On  June  7th,  I  received  an  account  of  the  acceptance  by 
Mr.  Leadbeater  before  the  Committee  of  the  facts  alleged  in  the  evidence";  I 
thus  accepted  on  what  I  believed  to  be  his  own  word,  that  which,  on  the  word 
of  others,  I  had  rejected  as  impossible,  and  that  which  I  ought  to  have  continued 
to  reject  even  coming  as  from  himself;  both  he  and  I  have  suffered  by  my  blun- 
der, for  which  I  have  apologized  to  him,  to  an  extent  which  our  unmerciful 
critics  little  imagine;  but  it  is  over,  and  never  the  shadow  of  a  cloud  can  come 
between  us  again. 


10- — 

Is  it  believable  that,  in  the  face  of  Mr.  Leadbeater's  own  letter  and  his 
admissions  made  before  the  Committee,  we  are  now  expected  to  accept  this 
statement  of  Mrs.  Besant  in  good  faith?  For  let  us  not  forget  that  in  February 
1906  she  herself  was  the  first  to  receive  the  charges  and  original  evidence  from 
America;   and  it  is  stated  that  — 

Mr.  Leadbeater,  to  whom  also  a  copy  had  been  forwarded,  was  then  with 
Mrs.  Besant  at  Benares.  After  consultation  with  her,  Mr.  Leadbeater  wrote  a 
letter  of  confession  and  excuse  (dated  February  27)  to  the  then  American 
General  Secretary,  and  Mrs.  Besant  also  sent  a  letter  to  the  chief  officer  of  the 
E.  S.  in  which  she  repeated  Mr.  Leadbeater's  excuses,  but  expressed  disagree- 
ment with  his  teaching. 

What  are  we  to  think  of  a  woman  who  makes  excuses  for  such  teaching, 
and  apologizes  for  having  spoken  of  such  teaching  as  "  worthy  of  the  sternest 
reprobation  "  ? 

FEEBLE   EXCUSES 

Mrs.  Besant,  in  the  same  letter  just  referred  to  (of  November  1908),  says, 
"  as  to  the  '  evidence,'  he  stated  at  the  time  [i.  e.,  of  the  Inquiry]  :  '  I  have  only 
just  now  seen  anything  at  all  of  the  documents,  except  the  first  letter,'  "  etc. 
In  heaven's  name  what  has  this  to  do  with  his  misconduct  and  the  vile  teachings 
to  which  he  has  confessed?  Why  did  he  confess  if  the  charges  were  not  true? 
It  is  impossible  to  believe  that  any  man  would  confess  to  the  truth  of  such 
charges  if  the  charges  were  not  true.  He  in  his  own  consciousness  must  have 
known  the  truth  of  the  charges,  and  evidence  or  documents  have  only  to  do 
with  proving  the  truth  to  others.  To  my  thinking  the  inference  is  only  too 
plain:  he  feared  the  evidence  then  at  hand  was  really  much  stronger  than  it 
actually  was  —  and  the  actual  evidence  as  has  been  shown  is  bad  enough  — 
and  knowing  his  guilt,  he  took  the  easier  course  and  confessed.  All  the  talking, 
and  all  the  platitudes  and  moralizing  will  not  get  around  the  fact  of  his  twice- 
told  confession,  once  in  a  letter  and  once  before  the  Committee. 

But  Mrs.  Besant  says  in  the  same  letter:  "  The  so-called  trial  was  a  travesty 
of  justice."  Why  this  unseemly  attack  on  her  late  colleague.  Col.  Olcott,  since 
dead?  Has  she  come  to  such  straits  that  she  will  sacrifice  anything  and  any- 
body to  gain  her  point  and  shield  her  "  Fellow-Initiate  "  ?  But  there  is  the 
stenographic  report  of  the  Committee's  inquiry: 

Col.  Olcott  :    "  I  should  like  to  ask  Mr.  Leadbeater  if  he  thinks  I  have  acted 

impartially?  " 
Mr.  Leadbeater:    "Absolutely." 

And  Col.  Olcott  made  perfectly  clear  the  nature  of  the  Committee  of  Inquiry, 
stating  twice  to  the  members  thereof  as  follows : 

(o)  Of  course  you  know  the  executive  power  is  vested  in  me.  You  are  here 
to  advise  me  and  to  hear  what  Mr.  Leadbeater  has  to  say,  and  to  act  according 
to  your  judgment  after  hearing  him. 

(b)  We  should  not  keep  in  anything,  but  have  frank  disclosure.  You  are 
not  sitting  judicially,  but  to  advise  me  what  to  do. 

This  abuse  of  members  of  the  Committee  shows  indeed  to  what  straits 
Mrs.  Besant  is  put  in  defense  of  Mr.  Leadbeater ;  and  defense  of  him  implies. 


— 11  — ' 

in  spite  of  anything  said  to  the  contrary,  defense  of  that  to  which  he  has  tzvice 
confessed. 

In  concluding  her  letter,  Mrs.  Besant  throws  aside  every  pretense  of  protest 
against  Mr.  Leadbeater's  conduct  and  teachings,  and  says: 

If  the  Theosophical  Society  wishes  to  undo  the  wrong  done  to  him,  it  is  for 
the  Convention  of  each  Section  to  ask  me  to  invite  his  return,  and  I  will  rejoice 
to  do  so.  Further,  in  every  way  that  I  can,  outside  official  membership,  I  will 
welcome  his  co-operation,  show  him  honor,  and  stand  beside  him. 

So  we  have  Mrs.  Besant  accusing  her  Society  of  having  done  wrong  to  this 
self-confessed  violator  of  the  innocence  of  youth,  this  teacher  of  vile  habits. 
It  is  no  longer  Mr.  Leadbeater  who  has  done  wrong ;  though  he  has  confessed 
twice,  and  resigned,  even  handing  in  his  resignation  before  any  action  of  the 
Committee  was  determined  on.  No,  Mrs.  Besant's  "  Friend  and  Fellow- 
Initiate "  could  not  do  wrong;  the  wrong  is  entirely  on  the  part  of  those 
fastidious  people  who  object  to  having  their  boys  taught  self -abuse.  It  is 
these  who  have  done  wrong,  mark  you,  if  we  accept  Mrs.  Besant's  statement. 
And  if  you  ask,  how?  The  answer  is,  in  protesting;  in  insisting  that  their 
children  shall  be  protected  from  vile,  degrading  teachings ;  to  the  giving  of 
which  Mr.  Leadbeater  confessed  twice.  But  remember,  Mrs.  Besant  says: 
"  THS  THEOSOPHICAL  SOCIETY  HAS  NO  MORAL  CODE),"  and  SO  perhaps  it  is  no 
wonder  after  all  that  she  characterizes  Mr.  Leadbeater's  immoral,  vile  teach- 
ings as  a  "  chimera."  She  says :  "  Is  it  not  time  to  cease  warring  against 
chimeras,"  and  the  context  admits  of  no  other  explanation  to  be  given  to  the 
word  than  that  it  refers  to  Mr.  Leadbeater's  conduct  and  teachings,  to  which 
he  has  confessed  twice  —  once  in  writing,  and  once  before  the  Official  Com- 
mittee. 

MRS.  BESANT'S   PLEDGES      " 

In  view  of  the  above  it  will  hardly  be  surprising  to  learn  that  certain  pledges 
made  by  Mrs.  Besant  to  her  members  in  regard  to  Mr.  Leadbeater  have  not 
been  fulfilled,  but  broken.  These  emphatic  pledges  were  given  to  her  followers 
at  the  time  of  her  election  to  the  Presidency  of  her  so-called  Theosophical 
Society.     Were  they  simply  "  election  "  pledges  ? 

Yet  it  is  of  interest  to  note  in  what  light  a  pledge  or  promise  is  held  by  a 
Theosophist.    H.  P.  Blavatsky  declares: 

Every  pledge  or  promise  unless  built  upon  four  pillars  —  absolute  sincerity, 
unflinching  determination,  unselfishness  of  purpose,  and  moral  power,  which 
makes  the  fourth  support  and  equipoises  the  other  three  —  is  an  insecure  building. 

This  statement  is  so  clear  that  its  application  may  be  left  to  the  reader. 

In  April  1907,  in  answer  to  a  telegram  from  British  members  "  Would  you 
as  President  permit  X.'s  (Mr.  Leadbeater's)  readmission ? "  Mrs.  Besant  re- 
plied : 

If  publicly  repudiates  teaching,  two  years  after  repudiation  on  large  majority 
request  of  whole  Society,  would  reinstate;   otherwise  not. 

The  meaning  given  by  Mrs.  Besant  to  the  word  "  repudiates  "  is  clear  from 
her  letter  to  her  British  members,  dated  March  24,  1907,  which,  note,  was 


12  

written  nine  months  after  Mrs.  Besant  had  received  the  official  Minutes  of  the 
Committee's  Inquiry,  and  her  opinion,  therefore,  could  not  then  have  been 
based  on  alleged  false  information.     In  this  letter  she  says: 

As  regards  his  [Mr.  L.'s]  readmission  to  the  Society  ...  I  shall  continue  to 
oppose  it,  as  I  have  hitherto  done,  until  he  says  publicly  that  the  teaching  is 
wrong.     [Mrs.  Besant's  own  italics] 

And  in  another  of  her  election  addresses,  "  The  Testing  of  the  Theosophical 
Society,"  she  declares: 

I  may  add  that  the  "  Conversation  "  in  no  way  suggests  Mr.  Leadbeater's  re- 
instatement, and  we  at  Adyar  could  not  read  that  into  it,  as  we  were  told  at  the 

same  time  that [whom  Mrs.  Besant  recognizes  as  the  highest  authority]  in 

answer  to  a  suggestion  to  that  effect,  has  sternly  refused  his  approval. 

But  these  pledges  and  the  disapproval  of  the  highest  authority  as  recognized 
by  Mrs.  Besant,  go  for  nothing,  and  are  only  mentioned  here,  as  throwing 
another  sidelight  on  Mrs.  Besant's  position. 

THE   "HIGHEST   AUTHORITY"   CONTRADICTS    HIMSELF 

If,  however,  we  are  to  accept  the  word  of  the  present  General  Secretary  of 
Mrs.  Besant's  Society  in  America,  Dr.  Weller  van  Hook,  who  is  also  a  member 
of  the  General  Council  of  Mrs.  Besant's  "  Theosophical  "  Society  and  therefore 
one  of  the  highest  officials  of  that  Society,  we  find  a  distinct  contradiction  of 
Mrs.  Besant's  statement  as  to  what  the  above-mentioned  "  Highest  Authority  " 
declared.  So  that  either  Mrs.  Besant's  "  Highest  Authority  "  has  changed  his 
position  totally  upon  the  question,  perhaps  also  committed  a  "  blunder "  in 
"  sternly  refusing  his  approval " ;  or  else  she  has  repudiated  both  him  and  his 
disapproval.  For  her  present  position  in  welcoming  back  "  with  honor  "  her 
"  Friend  and  Fellow-Initiate  "  is  in  entire  accord  with  that  of  Dr.  van  Hook  who 
sees  in  Mr.  Leadbeater  a  martyr  and  to  whom  the  outraged  and  protesting 
parents  and  the  self-respecting  members  who  have  resigned,  are  the  persecutors 
and  wrongers  of  this  self-confessed  teacher  of  self -pollution  to  boys. 

The  General  Secretary,  who  has  declared  the  statement  made  by  him  from 
which  the  following  is  taken,  to  have  been  dictated  verbatim  by  the  "  highest 
authority  "  referred  to,  says : 

Now  it  was  most  easy  for  Mr.  Leadbeater  with  clairvoyant  vision  to  see  what 
thought-forms  were  hovering  about  certain  boys  not  yet  addicted  to  this  degrad- 
ing practice.  .  .  .  Hence  the  "crime"  or  "wrong"  of  teaching  the  practice  allud- 
ed to  was  no  crime  or  wrong  at  all,  but  only  the  advice  of  a  wise  teacher  who 
foresaw  an  almost  limitless  period  of  suffering  for  his  charge  if  the  solution  for 
his  difficulties  usually  offered  by  the  World,  were  adopted  and  relief  obtained  by 
an  associated  instead  of  an  individual  and  personal  act. 

The  introduction  of  this  question  into  the  thought  of  the  Theosophical  World 
is  but  the  precursor  of  its  introduction  into  the  thought  of  the  outer  World.  Mr. 
Leadbeater  has  been  the  one  to  bear  the  persecution  and  martyrdom  of  its  intro- 
duction,    [etc.,  etc.,  ad  nauseam]  .  .  . 

No  mistake  was  made  by  Mr.  Leadbeater  in  the  nature  of  the  advice  he  gave 
his  boys.    No  mistake  was  made  in  the  way  he  gave  it. 

Will  any  sane  man  accept  such  a  monstrous,  flimsy  excuse  as  that  g^ven 
above,  that  Mr.  Leadbeater  saw  "  what  thought- forms  were  hovering  about 


13 

boys  NOT  YET  ADDICTED  TO  THIS  DEGRADING  PRACTICE  "  and  THEREFORE  taught 

this  "  degrading  practice  "  to  those  boys.  The  boys  were  not  yet,  according  to 
Dr.  van  Hook,  "  addicted  to  this  degrading  practice."  He  acknowledges  that 
the  practice  is  degrading;  he  admits  that  Mr.  Leadbeater  taught  it  to  these 
boys,  and  makes  the  monstrous  statement  that  in  so  teaching  it,  Mr.  Leadbeater 
made  no  mistake,  committed  no  crime,  did  no  wrong. 

I  have  no  hesitation  in  asserting  it  to  be  my  conviction  that  if  Mr.  Leadbeater 
saw,  as  is  claimed  by  Dr.  van  Hook,  any  such  thought-forms  hovering  about 
the  boys,  those  thought-forms  must  have  emanated  from  his  own  filthy  and 
perverted  imagination.  This  does  not  seem  to  have  suggested  itself  to  Dr.  van 
Hook,  nor  to  the  authority  whose  dictum  he  declares  himself  to  be  voicing. 

DR.  VAN    HOOK    BLAMES    THE    PARENTS 

Blame  must  be  placed  somewhere,  however,  and  so  Dr.  van  Hook  blames 
the  parents  of  the  boys  for  objecting  to  Mr.  Leadbeater's  teachings.  He  says, 
still  from  the  "  highest  authority  "  : 

If  any  mistake  was  made  it  was  a  mistake  of  judgment  in  [Mr.  L.'s]  trusting 
too  much  to  the  confidence  of  the  parents  of  the  boys  who,  he  thought,  knew  and 
loved  him  so  well  that  they  would  accept  his  judgment  on  matters  about  which 
ordinary  people  have  little  or  no  knowledge,  and  about  which  he,  by  the  nature 
of  his  occult  training,  had  a  full  comprehension. 

Betrayal  of  confidence  on  the  part  of  some  parents  of  the  boys  resulted  in  the 
scandal  which  brought  this  problem  to  the  attention  of  Theosophists  as  a  pre- 
liminary to  its  introduction  to  the  world.  Woe  to  those  who  violated  their  vows 
in  making  disclosures  in  this  case. 

Thank  heaven  there  are  still  a  few  "  ordinary  people  "  left  in  the  world, 
a  few  people  with  clean  minds  and  a  love  of  the  welfare  of  their  children,  who 
will  protest.  "  Occult  training,"  forsooth !  Not  of  the  Right  Hand  Path, 
but  verily  of  the  Left,  and  students  of  Theosophy  well  know  what  this  means, 
indeed  its  meaning  will  be  plain  to  all  and  require  no  explanation,  except  to 
say,  repeating  the  words  quoted  by  Mrs.  Besant  in  her  1906  letter,  that  it  is 
essentially  "  earthly,  devilish,  sensual." 

Once  again  we  have  an  unbelievable  reversal  of  all  decency  and  sanity. 
Note,  Dr.  van  Hook  speaks  of  betrayal  of  confidence  on  the  part  of  the  parents 
of  the  boys,  and  that  this  —  this  —  it  was  that  resulted  in  the  scandal.  It  is 
monstrous.  Look  at  the  matter  squarely  and  in  the  light  of  everything  that  is 
clean  and  honorable.  Whose  was  the  betrayal  of  confidence?  Was  it  or  was 
it  not  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Leadbeater,  to  whom  these  parents  had  entrusted  their 
boys  ?  Did  Mr.  Leadbeater  tell  these  parents  that  it  was  his  intention  to  teach 
them  this  vile  unclean  habit?  Would  they  have  entrusted  their  boys  to  him  if 
he  had  declared  it  was  his  intention  to  do  so?  On  whose  part  then  was  the 
betrayal  of  confidence?  And  this  man  has  the  effrontery  to  declare  that  parents 
who  refused  to  permit  their  boys  to  be  taught  self -abuse  —  and  this  by  a  man 
who  was  posing  as  a  spiritual  teacher,  and  under  cover  of  secrecy  —  he  has  the 
eflfrontery,  the  unparalleled  audacity,  to  declare  that  in  protesting  they  were 
guilty  of  a  betrayal  of  confidence! 


14 

THE  SENSE  OF  PROPORTION 

Mrs.  Besant  in  her  letter  of  November  1908  above  referred  to,  says: 

My  wish  is  to  lift  the  present  controversy  out  of  the  turmoil  of  passion  in 
which  all  sense  of  proportion  has  been  lost,  and  to  submit  the  whole  case  to  the 
judgment  of  the  Theosophical  Society,  free  from  the  exaggerations  and  mis- 
understandings which  have  surrounded  it. 

In  other  words,  those  who  have  expressed  the  horror  that  any  self-respecting 
man  or  woman  must  feel  at  the  teachings  of  self-abuse  to  which  Mrs.  Besant's 
"  Friend  and  Fellow-Initiate  "  has  twice  confessed ;  those  who  protest  against 
permitting  their  boys  to  be  in  the  care  of  such  a  man  as  Mr.  Leadbeater,  who, 
to  quote  Mr.  Herbert  Burrows,  "  regularly  took  them  to  sleep  with  him,  although 
they  strongly  objected  and  begged  for  a  separate  room"  —  all  these  have  lost 
the  sense  of  proportion,  and  we  are  to  infer  that  to  regain  it  they  must  turn 
to  Mrs.  Besant,  listen  to  her  contemptible  juggling  with  words,  leave  the  facts 
alone,  pay  no  regard  to  the  TwiCE  told  confession  of  Mr.  Leadbeater,  nor  to 
the  testimony  of  the  boys,  but  accept  her  statement  that  this  man,  being  her 
"  FRIEND  AND  FELLOW-iNiTiATE  "  Can  do  no  wrong.  Is  any  further  evidence 
needed  as  to  who  has  lost  all  sense  of  proportion,  who  has  made  exaggerations 
and  sought  to  confuse  the  issue  with  misrepresentations?  It  is  Mrs.  Besant 
who  has  lost  all  sense  of  proportion,  in  falsely  stating  that  "  The  Theosoph- 
ical Society  has  no  moral  code."  It  is  Mrs.  Besant  who  now  is  bringing  dis- 
credit on  the  sacred  name  of  Theosophy  by  the  excuses  that  she  makes  for  her 
"  Friend  and  Fellow-Initiate,"  —  excuses  that  he  taught  self-abuse  to  young 
boys  "  with  pure  intent."  To  teach  evil  with  pure  intent !  Such  a  thing  is 
monstrous,  Jesuitical,  devilish.  It  is  she,  saying  that  he  has  not  been  "  even 
accused  of  any  crime"  (her  own  words),  virtually  denying  in  toto  the  twice- 
made  confession  of  this  man.  But  Mrs.  Besant  is  not  the  judge  or  arbiter  in 
the  matter ;  it  is  before  the  public. 


TO   THE    PUBLIC 

In  conclusion,  why  do  I,  not  a  member  of  Mrs.  Besant's  Society,  take  it  upon 
myself  to  bring  these  things  out  before  the  public?  Having  been  a  member  of 
the  Theosophical  Society  founded  by  H,  P.  Blavatsky  (now  the  Universal 
Brotherhood  and  Theosophical  Society)  for  some  19  years;  having  been 
intimately  associated  with  William  Q.  Judge  as  his  private  secretary  during  the 
last  three  years  of  his  life;  having  since  that  time  been  intimately  associated  as 
Secretary  with  the  work  of  the  International  Headquarters  of  the  Theosophical 
Movement  throughout  the  World,  under  the  direction  of  Katherine  Tingley, 
successor  to  H.  P.  Blavatsky  and  William  Q.  Judge,  I  have  had  unusual  oppor- 
tunities of  keeping  in  touch  with  the  progress  and  history  of  the  work. 

The  facts  and  statements  quoted  in  the  foregoing  are  from  statements  circu- 
lated by  members  of  Mrs.  Besant's  Society,  with  one  exception,  that  of  a  letter 
written  by  Mrs.  Besant,  a  copy  of  which  was  sent  to  me.  My  reason  for  pub- 
lishing this  pamphlet  is  to  call  the  attention  of  the  public  to  what  I  hold  is  a 
danger  to  public  morals ;  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  Mrs.  Besant  and  those 


-^15  

of  her  followers  who  support  her  in  her  defense  of  Mr.  Leadbeater  are  in  no 
way  to  be  considered  as  identified  with  the  Theosophical  Movement, 

Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  I  include  all  members  of  Mrs.  Besant's  society 
in  this  protest ;  for  some,  I  feel  confident  in  asserting,  are  not  aware  of  the  facts 
connected  with  Mr.  Leadbeater's  conduct,  having  doubtless  been  kept  in  ignor- 
ance intentionally.  For  it  can  easily  be  seen  that  it  has  been  to  Mrs.  Besant's 
interest  -to  suppress  the  facts,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  brave  action  of  the 
outraged  parents  and  a  few  others,  the  evil  courses  of  Leadbeater  might  be  still 
unknown.  A  very  large  number,  too,  of  Mrs.  Besant's  former  followers  have 
since  resigned  in  protest,  refusing  any  longer  to  be  identified  with  a  Society 
which  would  welcome  back  to  its  ranks  such  a  man  as  Leadbeater,  twice  self- 
confessed  of  teaching  vile  habits  to  boys. 

But  Mrs.  Besant  is  before  the  public,  having  just  concluded  (July  1909)  a 
lecture  tour  in  Europe,  and  now  lecturing  in  America ;  also  she  makes  a  busi- 
ness of  her  profession  of  Theosophy,  charging  admission  to  her  lectures  — 
uniformly  charged  during  her  recent  visit  to  England  —  and  thus  asking 
the  public  to  contribute  to  her  expenses  and  the  financial  support  of  her 
Society.  Mrs.  Besant's  Society,  though  not  a  large  one,  has  established 
centers  in  different  parts  of  America  and  Europe,  public  lectures  are  held,  the 
"public  is  invited  to  attend,  application  papers  for  admission  to  membership  are 
freely  distributed  to  the  public,  and  for  all  these  reasons  the  public  has  the  right 
to  demand  that  what  is  seeking  a  place  in  its  midst  shall  not  be  a  danger  to 
public  morality,  nor  threaten  to  destroy  the  innocence  of  the  young. 

Mrs.  Besant  and  her  Society  have  endorsed  a  self-confessed  teacher  of  self- 
abuse  to  innocent  boys.  This  man  has  been  readmitted  to  Mrs.  Besant's 
Society,  welcomed  back  as  Mrs.  Besant  says  "  with  honor." 

One  of  the  highest  officials  in  Mrs.  Besant's  Society,  the  American  General 
Secretary  and  member  of  the  Supreme  Council,  has  declared  that: 

The  introduction  of  this  question  into  the  thought  of  the  Theosophical  World 
is  but  the  precursor  of  its  introduction  into  the  thought  of  the  outer  World. 
.  .  .    No  mistake  was  made  by  Mr.  Leadbeater.  .  .  . 

It  is  to  bring  these  things  to  the  attention  of  the  public,  and  to  the  attention 
of  the  public  press,  that  this  pamphlet  has  been  written,  as  the  quickest  way  in 
which  to  put  a  stop  to  this  threatened  propaganda  of  corruption.  For,  once 
the  public  is  aroused  to  the  enormity  of  the  evil  that  is  thus  proposed  to  be 
introduced  into  the  thought  of  the  outer-world  there  will  be  such  a  revulsion  of 
feeling  that  it  will  take  means  to  protect  itself  and  the  innocence  of  child- 
hood and  the  purity  of  home  life. 

These  teachings  thus  put  forward  by  Mr.  Leadbeater,  supported  by  Mrs. 
Besant,  are  the  more  subtle,  the  more  devilish,  because  these  people  profess 
"  Theosophy,"  which  stands  for  everything  that  is  clean  and  pure. 

Finally :  it  is  as  a  student  of  Theosophy,  as  an  humble  disciple  of  H.  P.  Blav- 
atsky,  of  William  Q.  Judge,  and  Katherine  Tingley  that  I  make  this  protest; 
and  more  than  all  as  a  man,  as  a  lover  of  home  and  all  that  that  sacred  word 
implies. 

-r,    .    ^    T  r^   1-r         •  JOSEPH   H.    FuSSELL 

romt  Loma,  California 

July  24,  1909  . 


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